From 'buckboard to rocketship!' Our brand new truck!!

This has been a big day for us. Today we got our brand new Toyota Land Cruiser pick up truck.
 Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, and the many prayers offered up for our traveling safety- we are now riding in a safe, dependable vehicle that will be able to take us anywhere!
All we can do is give praise to our awesome God for taking care of us!!  When we have told our story to the other missionaries staying here in Addis at the SIM Guesthouse- they just marvel and say "praise the Lord". I mean, what else IS there to say? A man that we have never met-who doesn't know us, only about us- wanted to help. He can't go to Ethiopia himself- but he loves God enough to want to help in His Kingdom work. So he sent us a check- a BIG check. With no strings attached. No craving for  recognition, no bronze plaque with his name on it.......wow.
But he is wrong about one thing, though.  He IS in Ethiopia after all,  because whatever we do through Project Ethiopia couldn't have been done without his help.
So, whoever you are- I hope you know how much we appreciate you, and we promise to be good stewards of this gift you have entrusted with us.

And to all of the rest of you who are faithful to pray for us, and follow our FaceBook page and read our blog---thank you so much and may God bless you all !

News Flash !!! God answers our prayers in a BIG way !

As those of you who have been following our blog this past year know- safe, dependable transportation has been a real problem for us. The roads in Ethiopia are very rugged and treacherous. We have been limping by in our 1975 Land Cruiser-thankful to have a vehicle, but it hasn't been easy holding it together with baling wire, duct tape and prayers........

Well, God has answered our prayers for a safe vehicle in a spectacular way!!  An anonymous donor has given us the money to purchase a brand new rugged 'africanized' Toyota Land Cruiser.
It is exactly what we need to carry out the ministry of Project Ethiopia in the bush of the southern Omo.
Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude and we dropped to our knees in praise to God Almighty for fulfilling our need so spectacularly!!  Of course we also give thanks to this anonymous donor who is giving so generously to PE- and we want him to know that every time we drive that truck doing ministry work, that he is also impacting countless peoples lives for good. Thank you- thank you- Thank you Mr. Donor !
And praise God from whom all blessings flow......"pressed down, shaken together, filled to overflowing..."                in His joyful service, Teresa and Tom

Home for the holidays...

As usual, any journey is difficult in Ethiopia. We have a very old, unreliable jeep and we never know what we are going to face. This time, brakes were the story.  Our car brakes suddenly went out in the midst of a road crowded with cattle and people and goats. Thanks to Toms gutsy driving and downshifting we avoided hitting anything. We stopped to repair the brakes and had to stay overnite in the town of Soddo. The next day, Tom was commenting that the brakes were adjusted too tight. I told him to quit complaining and just drive! A few minutes later he smelled smoke and pulled over.....Yep. The brakes were on fire! We threw water on them to cool them down and he made some other adjustments on them. Then we were on the road again. Of course, I will NEVER live it down that I said "quit complaining" all the while the brakes were on fire!!!
We finally made it to the airport in Addis Abba. There we boarded a plane for America for two months of relaxation with family and friends--and smooth roads with no cows and a car that has brakes. It's good to be home. Although, we must admit, part of our hearts are still back in Ethiopia. We miss our new friends who have become our family over there. But we will be back there soon enough. For now though, we will enjoy being with our families, enjoy the conveniences of life here in the US, and enjoy pizza and ice cream and cheeseburgers!
But we also have a mission while we are here: to share what we have been privileged to experience in Ethiopia this past year and to try and make it real and personal to you, our blog readers. I have not been able to stay very current with the blog before this-but now that the restrictions have been lifted on blogspot in Ethiopia,  I will try and do better!
So until the next blog, Tom and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! We hope that you will feel God's love for you in a very special way this season--and that you will also feel compassion and love for the poor in southern Ethiopia.
Please help support Project Ethiopia this new year!
In His joyful service,
Teresa and Tom Rieder

this is how we repaired our master brake cylinder!

Breaking News!

Ten months have passed since we hopped the ocean and came to Ethiopia. We had great hopes to be further along with our water project, but we discovered that God’s plan was much different.

While we have been involved in the process of receiving our project approval and acquiring a used water drill, we have discovered other needs of those around us; those who we interact with on a daily basis in Turmi and Arba Minch.

God has opened our eyes that these individuals, families, and schools are just as much a part of Project Ethiopia as our water mission, therefore PE has broadened to include projects that fall into our new “Mission Statement”:

To demonstrate the love of Christ using sustainable practices to rehabilitate water wells and livelihoods.

As our project has grown bigger, we need your support more than ever. Our prayer is that God will continue to work on the hearts of His people to GIVE, PRAY, and even COME.

Look for our upcoming newsletter to see more details about PE’s (Project Ethiopia) various programs and how you can help.

June Newsletter - Hooray for Big News!

June 2011

Update - Volume #6

Greetings from Arba Minch, Ethiopia;

We have tremendous good news to share with you.....the Water Project Proposal that Tom has labored over for so long was approved yesterday! Hallelujah!

You may recall back at the end of March when Tom and Belay (one of the church leaders from KHC) first made the 9 hr. trip to Dimeka. This is the district office for the area where we want to begin the project. At that time, they presented the proposal to three young men who were the officials from the Health, Financial and Water Boards. Tom told me that one guy in particular was not interested at all in the project and what it could do for the area people (they had not grown up there, but rather, were from up north) They had not even bothered to read the entire proposal and only skipped to the last page where the budget was itemized. They then made several demands for changes in the wording and structure  of the proposal.

Tom and Belay left the meeting being very discouraged. Tom re-wrote the proposal, working many late hours on it-and feeling not sure if this was what God wanted for us to pursue. Getting involved with the government in a proposal like this and with the types of men who were sitting in control of it, seemed like a big headache that Tom was not looking forward to....indeed, was not even sure at this point if it was the right thing to do.

Tom laid his misgivings out in a prayer to God- and asked God to give him a 'lightning bolt' type of sign. He told God that since he (Tom) is a little thick-headed he really needed it to be obvious what the Lord wanted. If the proposal was approved that was God's sign to us to continue in this direction. If it wasn't, then we would look in other directions for ways to minister to the people...

Tom and Belay went to Dimeka  on Tuesday to submit the proposal again. Along the way, they had quite a frightening experience! Tom was driving the truck (rented from KHC)  near a town called Konso when suddenly a donkey veered left instead of right and Tom struck the donkey and killed it. Immediately a large mob of people started running for the truck! In Ethiopia if you hit and kill an animal, it is very likely that the angry people will try to beat you up. If you kill a person you must flee for your life to the nearest police station and turn yourself in. It is an automatic 20 yr. prison sentence if you kill someone. No appeals. No trial.  So these stories we have heard since we came to Ethiopia were running through Tom's mind as the mob rushed toward him. They quickly locked all the doors and called for 'backup' on the phone. The KHC sent another truck out to them and they took Tom and Belay to the police station. The donkey owner was located and he demanded 6000 birr ($448.00) for his 'very fine best donkey'. After much negotiating it was decided that 2 local men and 2 KHC men would sit down and work out a settlement. They finally did, arriving at the sum of 4,000 bier (including 200 birr for the negotiating team and 30 birr to bury the donkey!) Tom had exactly 4000 bier in his pocket. After 4 hours they were back on the road, breathing a sigh of relief and thanks to God!

When they arrived at Dimeka they had another surprise! The man that had been so negative to the proposal before had been fired and replaced! The new man in charge was very complimentary about the proposal, saying that this was a wonderful thing for the people and would benefit them so much. He pledged his support and cooperation in any way that we needed. Then he immediately went and got the two other men and made them sit down and sign and stamp the proposal right then! (Normally you would have to come back in another week or so just to get it signed and stamped.) The turnaround in spirit and cooperation was amazing!  It was an obvious 'bolt of lightening' for Tom and he rejoiced at the turn of events orchestrated by God.
We are rejoicing at the 'green light' that this gives us. The project will officially begin in Sept 2011 and continue for 2 years. If any of you would like to read the proposal to understand more of what the mission all involves, just let us know. We will email you a copy. It basically is a "Training of Trainers" type of program- 'teaching a man to fish, instead of just handing him a fish.'  Sustainability is the key to any long-term success in Africa, we have been told. So that is what we want to do while we are here.

We invite any of you who want to come see it first hand for yourselves to come stay with us. You can fly direct now from WashDC to Arba Minch via Ethiopian Airlines.  We will continue to send emails and photos to keep you all in the loop.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Now the real work begins!!

The Complex Issues...

(Note from Jen Erickson who posts these blogs for Tom and Teresa)

I enjoy receiving emails from Teresa. She sends me a few emails with the blog posts or newsletters attached and asks me to send them or to post them here on this site. I always enjoy getting to read these snippets into Tom and Teresa's life in Ethiopia and even though I know their life isn't a bed of roses every day, it is still good for me to read some frustrations/realities of the "way of life" in Ethiopia.

Below are some three issues that perplex Teresa (and myself). These are complex issues. Issues that we can't begin to comprehend or understand. However, I believe that to admit that life isn't always easy in Ethiopia is healthy. It's honest. It's real. 

So, here it is - the complex issues from Teresa...

May Newsletter

May 2011

Update - Vol #5

Tom's Ministry Update:

As described in previous newsletters, Teresa and I have been very busy in rehabilitating an old KHC (Kale Heywet Church) mission house, making it ready to serve as our Project Ethiopia home base for operations.  Of course I viewed this task as just another remodeling job (complete rebuild of plumbing and sewer system, re-electrification of outlets and lighting, and some windows and doors replacements).  Early into this process, (that is, around mid-March) we came to realize that our efforts were yielding greater results than we ever imagined we would achieve.  Those results were, and continue to be, not simply based upon bricks & mortar, pipes & wires, but in relationships we have forged with so many Ethiopians; contractors, laborers, materials store clerks, materials transporters (truck, donkey drivers, and men on foot), neighbors, and many curious visitors.  Greetings in coming and going always include a “Hello! Are you fine?” and best of all, “God bless you.”; the latter so freely and unashamedly offered.  As Teresa and I often prayed for, before ever leaving the comforts and conveniences of our home, was to gain benefits by learning and living spiritual enrichment through experiencing the Ethiopian people and their cultures. Although we are able to mentor our Christian values to many and they in turn express an abundant gratitude for all the physical things and vocational teaching we are providing, it is Teresa and I who are receiving the lion’s share of benefits from this Project Ethiopia mission experience. 

Among many other rehab improvements, we have been able to bring water to the mission compound by connecting into the semi-reliable municipal supply from Arba Minch town.  We constructed a water tower with elevated storage tank (1000 liters capacity) for supplying water during municipal system outages, an in-ground cement septic tank for collection and run-off of our washing and toilet waste water and solids, construction of a “shinto bet” (waste pit) for disposal of garbage, and partial completion of a rain harvesting scheme for collecting rain water run-off from the metal roof of the house. At the time of this writing, we are beginning the construction of a 13,000 liter, ferro-cement rain water storage tank, using only cement and reinforcement materials of chicken and pig wire fencing.  This is a design practiced in the Samoa islands by the Peace Corps and if successful at our “base camp”, then we will plan to include this scheme out in the bush as another water provisioning scheme in addition to new well drilling and the repairs to any broken wells and hand pump equipment. 

Through your generosity of giving from your treasures, you have helped Project Ethiopia by supplementing a portion of the overall funding of all of our work.  We pray you will continue in this manner and challenge you to increase your giving and prayers for the most needy and greatly marginalized peoples.  In spite of their many hardships in life, they persevere with a smile on their dirtied faces, and they love to sing of their joy in and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless us all.

Prayer Requests:

• We are approaching the end of the KHC Mission house repairs. Thank youLord that no one has been hurt during this construction.
  
• Although the Project Ethiopia proposal was temporarily turned down, after some revisions are made, Tom will go back once more to seek the approval of the regional water and health board. Please pray that these three young men on the board will see the urgent need for the people in the community and how much this project could help them.
  
• Tom has been having much trouble with dryness (redness, itching like sandpaper) in his eyes. It is bothersome, and he has started blinking all the time.
  
•  After all the mishaps with loaned vehicles, we are now more than ever convinced of the need of having our own reliable truck. It is dangerous out here in the bush to be vulnerable like that. Please pray that someone or a group of people will give the funds necessary so that Project Ethiopia can purchase a truck
  

Last But Not Least...

...the continuation of Teresa’s trip by helicopter to the Tara tribal people.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear in the SIM compound in Tikempt Ishet. We hurriedly ate our oatmeal to be ready when our friend Markus from HeliMission was to arrive. Suddenly in the distance we could hear the thumping of the heli as it approached our clearing. It is quite an experience to see a helicopter land in your backyard. As we looked across the valley, we could see maybe a hundred people sitting on the hillside waiting to watch the ‘giant bird’ take off again. This was a big event! Markus had brought along the pastor from his home church in Germany, and there was Ben, Yemi and myself. Also, a man named Kopitu, who was one of the first people to evangelize the Tara people. I was so excited to ride in a helicopter and I thought that Kopitu must be overwhelmed with the idea, but I was incorrect - he was an old hand at helicopters. Ben said that he had ridden many times with him to go out to other unreached people groups. So it was no big deal to him! Of course, we had to have a little ‘pilot humor’ from Markus as he pretended to not remember where ’that one switch was that makes it go up’  and then he mumbled loudly to himself, “Ok. Hold stick in right hand, push throttle thing forward, I think...??”  So we all had a nice, nervous laugh and buckled our seatbelts even tighter.

We lifted and flew over the jungle, following several rivers and gliding silently through the sky. I felt like a bird, flying effortlessly. We all wore helmets and microphones so we could talk to each other and Ben and Markus regaled us with stories of some of their previous flights into the bush. Amazing stories of how God had used them to not only save lives but share the Gospel. Miles and miles we flew and the only sign of people below us were a few scattered grass huts. There were absolutely no roads anywhere. No villages, no schools, nothing. These people were indeed, very isolated. In front of us loomed a huge mountain range and our destination on top - the Tara people. The year before, when they had landed in Tara, one of the leaders had asked them to save his son. The boy was very ill (he had tuberculosis and malaria) and was dying. Markus flew the boy to a hospital and got him treatment. Now he was standing at the front of the crowd with his father as we landed in a clearing on top of the mountain ridge where the Tara people live.

Everyone was all smiles and greeted us with hugs and handshakes. Ben and Markus were particularly welcomed with much warmth and affection. Ben had been working on translating the very first Bible stories into the Tara language. He got one out and showed it to a man and asked him to read it out loud. You should have seen the look of joy on the peoples faces as they recognized God’s Word was now in their own language They broke out in spontaneous celebration!

We all went to a hut to meet with the leaders. But so many people were crowding around outside trying to hear what was being said, that we finally decided to just move to the church so everyone could hear. We sat on a bench in the front of the church and then the singing began.  The rafters were shaking with the sound of them rejoicing!   Then Ben gave a short sermonette in Me’en, which was translated into Amharic and then into Tara. (This obviously makes a sermon last a long time, but no one seemed to mind.) Then, one of the men approached us and made a very heart-felt and passionate appeal. We were told that he was saying something like, “We are forgotten up here. We have no roads. We have no schools for our children. We have no medicine. We have no Bible teachers. Will you send someone to live among us and teach us?”

Then another man told us that the government gave the Tara people a grinding mill, but left it in a village many miles below where the road ended. It has been sitting there for a long time. They had tried to take it apart piece by piece and carry it up the mountain trail but it proved to be too treacherous and dangerous and so there it sat.  Well- that sounds like a job for....HeliMission! So the guys decided to go take a look at the mill and see if it could be taken up by helicopter. They needed a local guy to fly with them to show them the way so that meant yours truly had to stay behind. Try to imagine me, blondie, standing in a crowd of Africans waving goodbye as they lifted and left me there (before my mother has a heart attack reading this. the German pastor also stayed behind with me!)

The people showed us back to the hut where they offered us lunch. The only thing they eat is honey and berries. So we were served a big bowl of honey complete with honeycomb. It was so rich that I couldn’t eat it. I am amazed that they still have teeth left eating all that sweet honey!

Later on the heli came back with the exciting news that they could bring the mill up to them. What shouting and excitement went through the crowd!  They said their prayers had been answered and God had not forgotten them.

And so we left, with the promise of a future trip in a few weeks to bring the mill.  

 // Tom was fortunate to be able to go on that trip and he took video of the people carrying the heavy pieces of the mill over the land to the site they had prepared for the new village mill.//

What a remarkable journey I had. Thank you, Jesus, that I could be a part of this very important event to include hearing the first Bible stories translated into the Tara language and the answering of a peoples’ prayer for help to bring the grinding mill up to them.